Excel Spreadsheets

[Peter R]

I've just purchased a Ipad air. My wife needs to read spreadsheets emailed to her and to return them with amended data. Is there a way I can do that on my Ipad s I did with our old laptop?

 

[AdmiralAdama]

Unfortunately there is no Excel for iOS devices.
Apple's 'Numbers' is an app I'm familiar with. It's $10 in the Canadian App store.
You can use it to open excel files, read, edit (what's permitted) then send back as excel files.
There are other apps but I've had no experience with them.

AA

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Peter R]

I have Numbers. Excuse my ignorance but how do I get to import a spreadsheet from a email in my inbox,edit it and send it back to
sender. Thanks

 

[twerppoet]

Numbers is probably not the best choice for this. Numbers can import and export to xls format, but it is a conversion that might cause problems (depending on the complexity of the spreadsheet).

There are other apps that do not convert, though they may have limited editing abilities they will not change the format of the spreadsheet. Some of the most popular are QuickOffice, Office HD Pro, and Documents to Go. I'm not sure which is considered the most capable at the moment. It's been more than a year since I've seen a detailed comparison of Office compatible apps.

In each case you would install the app on the iPad. In Mail you tap and hold on the attachment to get the option to open the file in a compatible app. After editing the file in that app you can email it back, directly from that app using it's share options.


A better solution all around would be to share the file back and forth using DropBox, Box, or another cloud service. In this case your wife and the other person(s) would be updating the same file, instead of creating multiple versions of it. In the case of Box.com, they would even have the history and the ability to add comments to the file.

The method of sharing the file would be similar, except you would use the cloud service's app to open the file into your the editing app, then use Open In in the editing app to copy the file back to the service app, and upload it.

Good luck.


Note on Numbers:

I love Numbers, and it is my spreadsheet of choice. If you are going to create spreadsheets on the iPad, or import and use the spreadsheets on the iPad, or export them only now and then, it's the most capable spreadsheet app available for the iPad. It's one weakness is the case you've outlined, constantly moving files back and forth between Numbers and Excel. When you are constantly converting a file back and forth between formats errors can occur, and if they do they will accumulate.

 

[AdmiralAdama]

Thank you tp for assisting with that detailed explanation.


AA

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[twerppoet]

No problem. I should probably copy it and clean it up a bit. It's a subject that comes up at least a couple times a month.